Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
In this episode, we dive into the unexpected ways nostalgia shows up in our lives. We start by asking our cohost Betty: "What sparks nostalgia for you?"
For Betty, it’s often photos — especially the ones that pop up unexpectedly. These days, it’s Google Photos or Facebook memories, quietly waiting to catch you off guard with a flood of emotion. But before that, it was printed photo albums. And even earlier, people kept memories alive through lockets, painted miniatures, and carved cameos worn around the neck.
To test it out, we share an old photo from Betty’s past — one her mom sent us — and watch the reaction. Betty's instant smile says everything.
Then we turn to music. Betty shares a personal story: when her mom was a baby, her grandfather would hum the "Volga Boat" song as he walked her around, trying to get her back to sleep.
Next, we introduce a piece by composer Antonín Dvorak called “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” written in 1880. Betty reads a few translated lines:
“Songs my mother taught me, in the days long vanished;
Seldom from her eyelids were the teardrops banished.
Now I teach my children each melodious measure.
Oft the tears are flowing, oft they flow from my memory's treasure.”
** Web bonus **
Fritz Kreisler arranged Dvorak's "Songs My Mother Taught Me" for violin and piano. Listen and watch how heartfelt the music can be without words.
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Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost Betty.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
